Paintstrike
by Calamari-on-Gallifrey
Summary: Team Paintstrike is a profreshional team of turf battlers, but what happens when they are thrust into unfamiliar turf? (I am so sorry, but I stink at summaries).
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Splattack!

 **Hello there, fellow sealings! If you don't care for author's notes, feel free to skip here! It's been awhile since I've posted anything or updated any stories, so if any of my followers see this, I'm sorry. School's been killing me, and I've been super busy. Well enough about me…. Enjoy the story! Oh, and disclaimer: I don't own Splatoon or Splatoon 2. Nintendo does.**

All was quiet at Port Mackerel. A stiff sea breeze blew in between shipping crates, carrying the salty smell of the nearby ocean. Gulls cried overhead, while large cranes rumbled quietly in the background. The silence was broken with a loud hissing noise as the circular spawn points at either end of the Port came to life and spun. Four inklings on either side rose out of the ink, each group being a different color. The right side was a bright purple color, while the left was light orange. The purple team consisted of a Hero Roller Replica, a Slosher, an Octobrush and an Inkbrush. "Let's splat these punks," the roller said, hefting the massive weapon over her shoulder and grinning. She wore retro specs, the hero jacket replica, the blue moto boots, and wore her hair up often.

"Remember to think before you steamroll, Natt," warned the wielder of the Octobrush. Her name was Cass, and currently wore the inkfall shirt and a squid hairclip, which went well with her short hair and longer sweatpants.

"Enough chit chat, lets just get going already!" a sharkling yelled, an Inkbrush slung over one shoulder. She wore the pilot goggles, a worn out black inky rider, and matching punk blacks.

"I couldn't agree more, Laurel," grinned the final member of the team. Her name was Scarlet and she wore a combination of white studio headphones, the varsity jacket, and strapping reds. She readied her slosher, and waited for the round to start.

READY?

GO!

While Scarlet began inking around the spawn point, Cass took the upper right path. Natt quickly threw a curling bomb, painting a path to the middle by throwing another bomb when the previous one exploded. Laurel simply ran ahead of the roller, her inkbrush creating a thin trail as she ran through the turf. Natt quickly reached the first open area of the Port and began painting the clean pavement, while Laurel kept running on until she got to the clearing on the enemy's side. "Good," she smiled to herself, hurriedly flicking the inkbrush back and forth. The orange team hadn't gotten to that portion of the stage yet, but Laurel had to move fast. Their advantage wouldn't last long. Just as the thought ran through her mind- _splat_! The E-Liter from the other team had caught the shark kid off guard. Cass, who had come to the end of the upper right path, had seen her teammate get sniped and quickly dove off of the edge to avenge Laurel. Swimming up to where the sniper was located, the short inkling threw an auto bomb up onto the ledge, causing the orange E-Liter to fall and be splatted by Cass.

Having finished inking around the spawn point in a few seconds, Scarlet quickly began flanking along the top left path of Port Mackerel and in a few minutes, she came to where Cass was now having a bit of trouble with a Baller special. "Why-won't-this-thing-break?!" She said through gritted teeth as the baller came rolling closer and closer. Cass was flicking her Octobrush as fast as possible, but it didn't break until Scarlet came in with her slosher at the last minute. "Thanks, Scar," sighed Cass in relief.

"No problem," Scarlet inked the corridor and grinned. "I'll be right back!" Scarlet quickly super-jumped back to spawn, where she pulled out a set of huge green tentamissle launchers. Locking onto three solid targets, she fired the missiles, and she let out a 'Booyah' as her missiles found their way to two of the three targets. Natt quickly used a vertical flick to get rid of the third unfortunate target. The roller quickly pulled out a tablet displaying the map of Port Mackerel and, seeing that most of the area was covered with their own purple color, decided to go back to one of the open areas and make sure no-one got through Cass' and Ginny's defenses. As she swam through the ink, she saw a familiar shark fin poking out above the color and called out."Oi, Laurel!" The fin stopped, and Laurel stood up in the ink, holding her inkbrush tightly.

"What?" the sharkling asked.

"Where have you been this whole time?" laughed Natt, "Cass and Scarlet are holding the other team back in their spawn point and-"

"-Look out!" Laurel yelled, and both sealings dove in the ink just in time to avoid a shot from the E-Liter. They sped towards a nearby storage container and popped up. "And _that's_ why I haven't been around this entire time," said the sharkling angrily, "The stupid E-Liter kept sniping me!"

"That's okay, it isn't like you're completely stealthy," she smiled, "… but if the guy is back in his sniper position-"

"Defenses are broken through!" huffed a frantic Cass as she ran by with her Octobrush. She had come from the direction of the spawn point.

"Oh, holy carp!" Natt and Laurel ducked into the ink and swam in the direction of the enemy spawn point only to be met with a very frantic Aerospray RG, angry Splat dualies, and a determined Sloshing Machine.

"You take the left, I'll take the right?" smirked Laurel.

"Oh it's on," Natt smirked back. They each took one narrow passage as 'Now or Never' began to blare over the speakers. Cass, using the splats of the enemy team as cover, was able to get up to the enemy's top right passage and use her Octobrush to run up behind the enemy E-Liter and splat him, before being splatted herself by an ink mine he had planted in that spot. Scarlet, who had respawned and was on her way to rejoin Natt and Laurel, used her slosher to cover up the little spots of orange left over from skirmishes, inkstorms, and stray inkjets that had gotten past the defenses. Just as the orange team had splatted Natt and Laurel to go ink more turf, time was called, and they had to stop battling.

* * *

"75.6 to 24.4?! That was _amazing!_ " gushed Natt. Her Hero Roller was now in a large black case, which she carried on her shoulders, backpack style.

"Heh. GG, everyone." Laurel crossed her arms and walked behind the overexcited Natt. Laurel's inkbrush was also in a case, slung over one shoulder. Cass' Octobrush was being carried in a similar style. After the match, Team Paintstrike had shaken hands with the other team in good sportsmanship, and invited them for another go if they felt up to it. Afterwards, they walked out onto Inkopolis Square, and after seeing that Grizzco wasn't open, they decided to start heading home. Natt, Laurel, Cass and Scarlet lived in the same apartment complex, but they met each other and became an official team in the Turf Wars, back when they were hosted in Booyah Base Plaza rather than the Square. Only when they began arranging practices did they realize they were all coming from the same place. When they weren't battling, the team generally kept their hair in their natural colour. Scarlet had bright red hair worn down; Laurel had light purplish-grey fins rather than tentacles, but they turned other colors like any normal inkling's tentacle hair; Cass had short green tentacles with red tips; and Natt had purple tentacles with longer bangs pushed to one side, and shorter hair tentacles usually worn in a ponytail.

Scarlet adjusted the slosher that she carried under one arm. "Yeah, that orange team never stood a chance. The charger needed to stop getting ahead of the others and focusing on just getting to that same spot."

"Well, it wasn't just that," smiled Cass, "They just weren't good at working together. They didn't really know each other's strategies."

Laurel shrugged, "Well, when we do that rematch we promised them, we can give 'em a few pointers."

Natt suddenly stopped, causing the others to run into the back of her. "Natt!" Laurel said, stumbling over the stopped roller. "What gives?"

"Shh!"

"Don't shush me-"

"Laurel, shut it!"

Scarlet was confused. "What is it?"

"Look." Natt pointed down the alley they had stopped in front of, and the group stayed silent, waiting. A scuffling noise, then a yelp of pain echoed down the small passage, bouncing off the brick walls and reaching the ears of the team.

"Oh my gosh," Cass saw what Natt was talking about. Two large silhouettes at the end of the alley seemed to be kicking someone else, who was crumpled on the floor, and had no chance of escape from the bullies. "We need to help that person!"

Laurel nodded fiercely and made a move to start running, but Natt stopped her. "We can't just charge in- Laurel's pretty much the only one tall enough to even put a dent in those guys, and I can't get my Hero Roller fast enough."

"Don't worry," smirked Scarlet, a concerning look on her face, "I've got this." the group followed her as she snuck through the dark alleyway, coming up behind the bullies soundlessly. It was too dark to see anyone's features, but there was enough light to figure out where to go, and who to beat up (in this case, the two large guys who happened to be hurting another person). "Oi, bulkheads!" The two larger people turned around to meet the red-tentacled inkling, confused. "Say hello to my bucket-o-PAIN!" she jumped up and slammed her slosher, upside down, onto one of the guys' head. While the other one was too surprised to do anything, Natt swung her roller case at him, knocking him in the stomach with enough force to make him drop to the floor. Laurel quickly came in and planted a boot in the chest of the bully blinded by the slosher, causing him to fall onto his comrade, and the weaponized bucket to pop off his head. Cass sauntered up to the bullies and leaned in.

"What are you gonna do, shorty?" the one on top grunted, trying to sound bold.

Cass gave a half-smile and pointed the handle of her Octobrush at them. "Do you really wanna know what I'm gonna do?"

Natt had never seen people that big run that fast.

As Natt, Scarlet, and Laurel high-fived and congratulated themselves on their well-earned victory, Cass frowned. "I get the feeling that those guys aren't from around here," she said slowly.

"What makes you think that? Not all sealings are short like us," Natt said, "I mean, sharklings and giant inklings are usually tall like that…"

"Eh, nevermind," shrugged Cass, "It must have just been me. Now let's see if the person we saved is alright."

"Oh, _right!_ " Natt smacked herself on the forehead. "I'm so stupid!" she trotted over to the person they had helped, who was lying on the floor, looking up at the three inklings and sharkling in surprise. "Hey, are you okay?"

The girl who they'd saved nodded and spoke in a sore voice, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Those guys're losers."

"Here, lemme help you up," Laurel joined Natt and offered a hand. The girl took it, and the purple sharkling hoisted her up.

"So uh, what's your name?" Scarlet asked the girl, trying to make conversation.

"I'm Raven Malus," the girl said, brushing herself off, "What's your names?"

"I'm Laurel," She smiled.

"Natt!"

"Scarlet," the inkling speaking was distracted with making sure her slosher wasn't dented.

"And I'm Cass. Nice to meet you, Raven!"

"Same here," Raven said. "Hey, can we move out into the light? I'd rather not stay in this shady place, ya know?"

"Oh, no, I get you," said Natt, "Come on, Scar!"

"Coming," muttered the red inkling, following her team.

When they got into the light, Cass squinted. She didn't recognize this part of town, much less the street they were on, but she was quickly distracted from these thoughts when she heard a sharp gasp. Raven was looking with rounded eyes at the team, and the team, even though they didn't look surprised, were looking back at Raven curiously, with a lot of concern. She had very short brown hair unlike any of the other inklings had ever seen or heard of, with longer bangs sticking up a little bit. She wore a baggy plaid shirt and a pair of short jean shorts and green converse. She also had bruises and scrapes up and down her arms, probably from the bullies. "What _are_ you?" Raven asked incredulously, "Because those are some _really_ good cosplays."

"Cosplays?" Natt tilted her head, "We aren't cosplaying… this is our battle gear."

"Battle gear?"

"Yeah," Scarlet chimed in, "For the turf wars and stuff. You do know what turf wars are, right?" Raven shook her head and shrugged.

"Well, that's okay!" said Natt, trying to remain positive and not make the new girl feel bad, "If ya tell us what area you live in, we'll walk you home!"

"Oh," said Raven, "That's okay, I can find my way home myself. Where are you guys from again?"

"Inkopolis," said Cass, "Or, in Laurel's case, she's from another city, but moved to Inkopolis a couple of years ago."

"I've never heard of Inkopolis," Raven responded, squinting suspiciously, "What did ya say you guys were?"

"We're inklings," Natt said nonchalantly.

"Well, except for me. I'm a sharkling." Laurel added.

"I have no idea what either of those are." Raven said helplessly, "So are ya aliens or…?"

"Oh no!" Natt said quickly, "We're not aliens."

"Heck, if anyone's an alien, its Raven," muttered Laurel. Natt punched her in the arm. "What? Its true!"

"Y'all don't know what a human is?" Raven asked cautiously.

"Nope, never heard of them," Laurel said, rubbing the new sore spot on her right arm, "Why, is that what you are?"

"Yeah…" Raven trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Uh, guys?" Cass called out, a hint of worry in her voice, "Was that brick wall always there?"

The team ran over to where Cass was and looked into the alleyway they had come out of. Scarlet quickly turned the flashlight on from her Squidphone and shone it into the darkness, revealing the said brick wall. "Holy Zapfish," Scarlet muttered, her face going a bit pale.

"That wall has always been there," said Raven, "I dunno what the big deal is."

"Thats where we came in," Natt said worriedly. She checked her watch, then groaned, "Dangit, we aren't going to make it home tonight. It just isn't possible."

"Tonight?" scoffed Laurel, "What if we're stuck here forever?"

"I've gotta agree with Laurel," Scarlet said, "And based on how Raven here reacted to _us_ , I'd say that being stuck here would not be good."

"So I'm guessing that finding a hotel for the night is in order here?" said Natt.

"Already on it," quipped Cass, whipping out her squidphone and typing furiously. "Ah, carp!" she muttered, and then louder said, "No signal."

"Well," said Raven slowly, "Yall _did_ save my butt a few minutes ago, and if you're stuck here I don't want yall to get captured by some nut who thinks y'all are aliens…."

"Pfft, I'd like to see them try," smirked Cass.

"Anyway, y'all can stay at my house. I won't charge, I promise." Raven smiled.

Everyone looked to Scarlet for approval, and she nodded. "As long as its okay with your parents…"

"Yeah, they won't care," Raven said, "In fact, they'll be happy I brought some friends over to spend the night."

"You consider us friends?" asked Cass, "But we just met."

"Yeah, we did," shrugged Raven, "But in the short time we've known each other, you beat up my bullies, and y'all seem to have gotten stranded in this world because of it. If that doesn't make us friends, I dunno what does."

"Fair enough," grinned Laurel, "Now which way to go?"

"My house is this way," Raven began to walk, Team Paintstrike following close behind.

* * *

 **Well, chapter one is over! In case you guys were confused, Laurel is part of a race I have made up called Sharklings. They're taller than Inklings and Octolings in kid form, and they turn into sharks instead of squids and octopi. When they** _ **do**_ **swim in ink, they have a little shark fin sticking up out of the ink (unless, of course, they have the ninja squid ability in their clothes). If you guys have any suggestions for the story, let me know!**

 **~Calamari-on-Gallifrey**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Lets Get Kraken

 **Hello there! Sorry for the wait. I usually try be about 2 chapters ahead of what I've got posted in case of emergencies, so that's part of the reason its been a week or two after my first chapter. Well, enough about me. Enjoy!**

* * *

Raven opened the door to her one story home and poked her head inside. "Mom, I'm home!"

"How was your walk?" her mom called back from one of the bedrooms.

"It was fine. I brought some friends over to stay the night!" Raven walked into her house, taking off her shoes and putting them in a basket by the door. The rest of the team followed suit, putting their weapons and weapon cases next to the basket as well. A small thump was heard, followed by the sound of quick footsteps as Raven's mom walked into the room.

"Oh, hi!" she said cheerfully, "We weren't expecting guests! Sorry it's a mess in here."

"No, it's okay," smiled Scarlet, "Believe me, this is _spotless_ compared to my room!"

"Mom," said Raven, "This is Cass, Scarlet, Natt, and Laurel. They're a couple of friends, and they're gonna stay the night."

"Well, it's nice to meet you!" Raven's mom smiled warmly, shaking everyone's hand, "You can call me . Or Mrs. Malus. I don't care which!"

"Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Lacee," Natt said, a broad smile on her face.

"Well we'll be in the basement if you need us," Raven said, leading the team towards a door.

"Okay, dinner will be ready in an hour!" Mrs. Lacee walked towards the kitchen, while Raven opened a door and lead the others down a dim stairway.

"Wait," said Natt as they headed down the stairs, "Why didn't your mom notice the bruises on your arm?"

"She's nearsighted, and didn't have her glasses," Raven explained, "More than likely, she'll notice at dinner."

"Oh." Natt continued to follow the human.

The basement was unlike any basement the Inklings had seen. It had a stone floor, but near the middle of the room was a red shag carpet, on the border of which sat some dark purple sofas, all crowded around a television set with a collection of DVD's on either side of it. Blankets and pillows were strewn on the couches, and a few remotes sat on a side table stationed in between two couches. A white light overhead provided adequate lighting, and in an unused corner of the basement sat a washer and a dryer. "Hm, cozy!" said Cass, looking the place over.

"Yeah, I watch a lot of movie marathons here. Star Wars are my favorite." Raven smiles, plopping down on one of the couches.

"Ooh, I love Star Wars!" Natt gushed, joining Raven on one of the couches, "Episode 28 has gotta be my all-time favorite!"

"But there's only 9 episodes," said Raven, "Now that gives me a clue as to where y'all come from."

"But we already told you we're Inklings and a Sharkling from Inkopolis," said Cass, sitting on the floor. Scarlet and Laurel took up the remaining purple sofa that wasn't already occupied.

" _Right,_ I remember that," said Raven, "But that could be anywhere: Another planet, a different dimension, somewhere in the past or future-"

"You watch a lot of sci-fi don't you?" asked Laurel with a smirk. She jutted a thumb towards Natt, "You'll get along _great_ with that one then."

"Here, tell you what," Cass smiled, "Since we both have questions about each other and where we come from, we'll play truth or dare."

"Ooh, I love this game!" said Natt.

"Same here," grinned Laurel, "I'll go first!"

"Okay," said Raven, a smile growing on her face, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare all the way!"

"I dare you to….do 5 one handed pushups!"

"Not the best dare, but I accept!" Laurel dropped to the floor and quickly did the pushups, retaking her seat on the couch afterwards. "Okay, Natt: Truth or dare?"

"Uh…. Dare!" Natt said.

"I dare you to dump a slosherfull of ink on your head!"

"I accept!" she smirked, "Can I use your slosher, Scar?"

"Yeah, lemme go get it!" Scarlet ran to the stairs and thumped her way up.

"Whats a slosher?" asked Raven.

"It's like a bucket," Cass explained, "But it's designed to hurl massive amounts of ink at once. Its great for covering turf, but I don't usually use it."

Raven was about to ask another question, but was interrupted when Scarlet came down the stairs, holding several objects. She dumped them beside the couch that her and Laurel had been sitting on, and tossed Natt the slosher. "Right, here goes nothing!" Natt chuckled.

She moved to an area that wasn't covered in carpet, made a swirling motion with the bucket, and upended it over her head. Dark purple ink gushed out, covering Natt and a large portion of the floor she was standing on. "Wooo!" she cheered, the ink dripping to the floor as she brushed it off. As she walked back to the couch she spotted Raven's incredulous look, and tried to explain. "Oh, don't worry. That ink'll disappear after about ten minutes. Now where were we?"

"I-I think it's your turn," Raven stuttered. She was positive that the 'slosher' Scarlet had was empty before Natt even touched it. So where did all of that ink come from?

"Oh, right!" Natt said, "I'll do you then. Raven: Truth or Dare?"

"Truth, I guess."

"Okay, um…" Natt paused, thinking, "What do humans transform into?"

"Well, if you're talking real life, then nothing." Raven said, "Why, do you guys turn into something?"

"Oh, that's interesting," said Laurel, "Nearly every sealing who looks like a kid can turn into something."

"Really?"

"Yeah, watch." Laurel quickly morphed into a light purple shark, and wiggled herself under one of the pillows on the couch. A second later, Laurel turned into a kid again, holding the pillow tightly with her arms.

"Wow," Raven gaped, unsure of what else to say.

"Hah. if you think _that's_ impressive…" Scarlet gave her team a mischievous look, and they all knew what to do. They quickly turned into squids (and a shark) and began flopping around, making little squish-squish noises as they did so.

"Oh my _gosh,_ " Raven looked to be on the verge of squealing, "Y'all are so adorable!"

Cass' squid looked confused, as if to say 'Really?'

"Can I touch you?" she asked a purple squid, Natt. As she approached the squid, it hopped away towards the puddle of purple ink and swam inside. "Dang, how deep is that stuff?"

"Deeper than it looks, that's for sure," grinned Scarlet, walking up behind the human and startling her, "Tell you what, that depth makes it a great spot to hide a stash of money or Halloween candy."

"Cool," Raven breathed.

"Dang right its cool," Natt poked her head suddenly out of the ink, surprising Raven and making her stumble back. The purple inkling laughed and held out a hand. Scarlet grabbed it, and pulled her friend out of the puddle.

"Let's get back to our game, shall we?" Scarlet asked, walking back to the couch area.

"Yeah sure," Raven and Natt went back and sat down on the couches. Cass and Laurel were still in squid/shark form, but both could fit on the couch now so it was no big deal. "So whose turn is it now?"

"I guess I can go," Scarlet shrugged. "Cass: Truth or Dare?"

Cass morphed back into a kid and put the still-shark-Laurel onto her lap. "I'll take truth I guess. Ask me something Raven wouldn't know though. That _is_ the whole purpose of this game, right?"

"Sure," said Scarlet, already thinking of a question, "What are Turf Wars?"

"Is reading minds common in inklings as well?" Raven joked.

"Yea," Cass said sarcastically, "That and laser eyes."

"Yeah, _totally_ ," Natt caught on, smiling.

"Anyways, back to answering the question," Cass sat back, adjusting the flopping shark on her lap, "Turf Wars are a sport us sealings play for fun. We play on different stages, and the goal is to ink up as much area as possible in what, 3 minutes?" she looked to her teammates for confirmation.

"Yeah, 3 minutes," Scarlet confirmed.

"I thought so," Cass continued, "Anyway, there's also another team of the opposite side of the map that is trying to cover turf with their own color of ink as well. Whoever has the most area inked wins!"

"So what happens if you encounter someone else on the battlefield?" asked Raven, "And how can ya tell who is on what team? Y'all are different colors!"

"Oh, the spawn point changes everyone's tentacle or fin colors to match their teammates, and it varies with each match." Natt explained.

"And if you encounter another teammate on the splatterfield, you make 'em go splat!" Cass smiled.

"Wait, y'all _kill_ people on the other team?" Raven gasped.

Cass promptly turned red, "Oh, uh, n-not like that! Unless they have quick respawn, whoever we splat will respawn in a few seconds. They'll do it in less time if they have the ability I mentioned."

Raven let out a sigh of relief, while Scarlet smirked. "Alright, Cass," she said, "Ask someone truth or dare!"

"Okay! Truth or Dare, Raven!"

"Um, we'll go with truth."

"Why were those guys beating you up in the alleyway earlier?"

"That's… actually a very good question." Natt tapped her chin and looked at Raven, waiting for her answer.

"Ah, well," Raven scratched the back of her neck, "Those guys like to pick on the nerds and geeks of our school. Like, beat them up in a corner and steal their rare collectibles or money, only to sell the collectibles online later. So, I've been pranking them in retaliation." She smirked.

"Sounds like a cheesy young adult fanfiction, I'd say," Laurel muttered. She had turned back into a kid during Raven's response, and her tall frame was now sprawled across both Scarlet's and Cass' laps. Scarlet promptly smacked Laurel upside the head.

"You're being rude, Laurel," she said, "Raven, please continue."

"Okay," the human said, confused. "Anyway, for a while, they never suspected it was me until they saw me setting up for one of my pranks. Even when they knew for sure it was me, they would never really _beat me up_ like they did today, ya know? They would just make threats and look menacing."

"Yeah," Scarlet nodded, "But whaddya think made them retaliate like that all of a sudden?"

Raven shrugged, "Heck if I know. And besides, if they hadn't cornered me, I wouldn't have met you all!"

"Huh," smiled Natt, "Now _that's_ the kinda thinking I like!" The two girls fistbumped and Laurel sighed.

"So, what now?" asked the Sharkling.

"I dunno," shrugged Cass, fiddling with Scarlet's slosher.

"Ooh, I know!" said Natt, running off the couch and towards the items Scarlet had brought in from upstairs. "I can show you my Hero Roller Replica!"

"Your what?" Raven asked curiously.

"My Hero Roller!" Natt unzipped the case and whipped the large weapon out, setting it on the floor next to her. Standing and kicking the case off to the side, the picked up the inkless roller and gave it a test swing. Raven leaned back.

"Woah, watch it!"

"Whoops, Sorry," said Natt. Without jumping, she gave the roller a flick and set it on the floor. She walked forward a bit, and dark purple ink coated the roller portion. She quickly lifted the roller and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm not really going to roll this thing around right now. It's literally designed to cover as much area as possible."

"Looks like fun," Raven grinned, "Can I try?" Natt shrugged and handed the roller to Raven, who had gotten up off of the couch. As soon as Raven accepted the weapon, she gasped, and the roller thumped to the floor. "Holy Crap, that thing is heavy!" she looked at Natt, "How do you even lift this thing?!"

Natt shrugged, "This roller is actually pretty light and fast. The Carbon roller is lighter, but at least my Hero Roller isn't as heavy as the Dynamos."

"You mean there are heavier paint roller that people actually _use_?!"

"Yeah," Natt took the roller back.

"So what other weapons do y'all have?" asked Raven.

"Oh, I have an Octobrush," said Cass, removing the mentioned weapon from its case.

"That is the biggest paintbrush I have ever seen." Raven gaped.

"Yeah," Laurel agreed, "I use the inkbrush, which is like Cass' brush, but its smaller and faster."

As each teammate showed off their weapon and explained to Raven how the weapon works, they allowed the human to try each one. Raven ended up favoring the slosher, as it was the smaller weapon, and she could easily maneuver with it unlike the brushes and roller. "Raven!" her mom called from upstairs, "It's dinner time!"

"Be right up, Mom!" Raven called back, setting the slosher down on a coffee table with a thump."Thanks for letting me try the weapons- I just hope this ink dries up before my mom comes down here and gets the wrong idea." She grinned as she surveyed the multi-colored splotches and stripes of ink all over the garage floor.

"Yeah," Scarlet grinned back, "It'll dry and fade within the hour, don't worry."

"Alright, let's go!" Raven led Team Paintstrike out of the basement.

* * *

 **In case you guys couldn't tell, this was the best way I could think of to explain stuff to Raven and the Team. Sorry if it seemed a bit cheesy but it's better than paragraphs of explanations and lengthy backstories, eh? I also tried to give Raven a southern accent, and I'm sorry in advance if I happen to offend anyone/make the accent seem too much.**

 **Anyway, I'll try to spice things up more in the next chapter. Be sure to review if you have any suggestions!**

 **Have a great day!**

 **~Calamari-on-Gallifrey**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Shooting Starfish

 **Hello again! Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but the next one will be longer, I promise! Enjoy!**

A figure sat in a dark, metal room, staring at several glowing monitors. Steady drips of a leaking pipe were echoing throughout the chamber and the air, which smelled of strange metal and seawater, seemed to crackle with tension. On the monitors, the figure could see several darkened roads, with the occasional passerby on the sidewalks. The monitors weren't picking up anything useful, which frustrated the figure. Their hand crumpled into a fist and thumped it on the desk before them.

Before they could do anything else, scuffling footsteps reached their ears, telling the figure that the person coming had a slight limp. "You'd better have some good news, Ico," spat the figure, his rough tones echoing through the chamber.

"Y-yes sir," Ico stuttered. The rustling of papers were heard in the brief pause that followed, "The target has moved on to the subject's house. As far as our sources know, nobody else has seen the specified target."

The figure allowed a fierce grin to creep across his face, the light from the monitors reflecting off his pointed teeth. "Very good," he muttered quietly, "Right on time."

* * *

Team Paintsrike and Raven walked into the dining room and seated themselves at the table, leaving a seat open for Raven's mom. "Won't we need an extra seat for your dad?" Natt asked.

"Nah, he's on a business trip in New York." Raven explained.

Mrs. Lacee walked into the dining room just then, her auburn hair tied up into a messy bun and a pair of round spectacles perched on her nose. She set a large pan of food down on the table and smiled. However, her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she saw the team, now with her glasses on. "Thanks for having us over," Cass smiled, trying to break the ice.

"Oh, anytime," Mrs. Lacee chuckles. "So, where are y'all from?"

"Inko-"

"They're from a different country," Raven interrupted Laurel's response.

"Which country?" asked , beginning to plate the food.

"Uh, Calamari County?" Natt said.

"Hm, sounds like a nice place." smiled Raven's mom.

"It is," grinned Cass. She looked at her plate. "Wait, is this lasagna?"

"Yup," said Raven, "It's mom's special 5-cheese Lasagna!"

"Ooh," Natt eyed the plate, "I freakin' love lasagna."

"Same," Cass cheered.

"Well, then dig in!" Mrs. Lacee made a sweeping motion with her hands, and then quickly plated her own food.

"So, Mrs. Lacee," Cass began, trying to make polite conversation, "How are you doing?"

"Good, thanks," Mrs. Lacee responded, "I'm glad to see she's made some new friends."

"Me too," Raven said, beginning to eat.

"May I ask what the hats are for?" Mrs. Lacee asked the sealings after a few minutes. They guessed she was referring to their odd, shiny tentacle-hair.

" _Mom_ ," Raven hissed.

"What? I was just asking a question!"

"Oh that's okay," Laurel responded, thinking fast, "We were on our way back from a gaming convention when we ran into Raven, here."

"Yeah," said Scarlet, catching on, "We were there trying out a new game."

"Oh," Mrs. Lacee nodded.

The rest of the meal was filled with silence and the occasional comment to ask if someone would pass the salt or parmesan. It wasn't that they didn't _want_ to talk, it was just a matter of the team not wanting to give too much away, combined with the fact that Mrs. Lacee's 5-Cheese Lasagna was too good to stop eating. After the teens ate and downed their cups of milk (which had been set at the table before they had started the meal) Raven excused herself and her friends and said they'd be in the basement.

"Oh, honey!" Mrs. Lacee called as Natt opened the basement door for her friends, "Don't forget you have school tomorrow, so don't stay up too late!"

"Yes, ma'am," Raven called back.

As they entered the basement and went back to the couch area, Scarlet looked at Raven. "School tomorrow?"

"Yeah, today's Sunday," Raven said slowly, "So tomorrow's school."

"Huh, well like you said before," shrugged Scarlet, "It's another clue to how far into the future we are."

"Wait, y'all are from the future? I thought for sure you were from an alternate Earth or somethin'."

"No," said Natt, "In the time we come from, humans are long extinct."

"Wait, but Laurel said-" Raven started.

" _Laurel_ ," grinned Natt, "failed in Inkopolis history before trying again and barely passing."

"I'm not that bad!" Laurel protested with a small smile.

"Okay then," Scarlet smirked, "Who was one of the major Generals in the old Turf Wars against the Octarians?"

"Captain….. Crawfish?" Laurel tilted her head, then laughed as the rest of her team collectively facepalmed.

"No, Laurel, Its Cap'n Cuttlefish," Natt smiled.

"Anyway," Cass brought everyone back on track, "We're from the future, and back at Inkopolis, it's the middle of the Summer, not the middle of the school year."

"Oh. That's interesting." Raven said. "Speaking of Inkopolis, when do you think y'all will go back there?"

Natt shrugged, "I honestly have no idea. I have a few theories as to how we got here, but I'm still figuring out how to get back." The purple inkling had paled considerably and began sweating nervously.

"Do you think we could check the alleyway again tomorrow?" asked Cass, "That brick wall might be open again."

"And if it isn't?" asked Raven.

"Lets… not think about that." Laurel also looked a little more pale.

"Hey, can we watch a movie?" asked Scarlet, abruptly changing the subject. She looked at Natt worriedly. Usually Natt was the optimist in Team Paintstrike, and right now she looked about to faint. Raven caught on to the situation and nodded.

"Yeah," the girl said, opening a cabinet underneath the TV, "Here's the movies I have, what do y'all wanna watch?"

Laurel, Natt, and Cass joined Scarlet and Raven in looking through the movies, and after much debate they chose Pirates of the Caribbean. The rest of the night was spent cuddled in a blanket fort and forgetting about their stresses for a few short hours. They fell asleep around the end of the third movie.

* * *

At midnight, the small-town neighborhood was nearly silent, except for the occasional rustling of leaves as a warm breeze blew through the piles on the side of the road. Street lights lit the road with soft orange light as a stray cat puttered across the empty neighborhood street.

Suddenly the cat stopped, looking around with its ears perked uneasily. It heard something in the bushes, and decided not to take a chance, instead streaking down the street in the opposite direction of the noise.

The street light near the said bushes suddenly flickered and died. A large shadowy silhouette used the dark cover to run across the street, fast enough that a passerby could have blinked and missed it entirely. The figure looked around, and headed down a familiar alleyway ending in a brick wall. There was a crash of metal and the flickering flashes of electricity, and then all was silent once more.

 **Ehehehehe, here's a cliffhanger! I felt like this chapter needed to be a bit shorter and leave you hanging... be sure to drop a review so I can hopefully improve in future chapters, and a big thanks to Dumirin the Dutiful and ElectricBlaster for reviewing!**

 **Dumirin: Thanks for the advice- I was trying to avoid going really slow with the beginning of the story, hence the 'sonic speed', but now that you've mentioned its too fast, I may consider going back to revise the first chapter, and maybe split it into two chapters. And also 'sealings' is a term I use to refer to multiple sea-based races. So, like Octarians, inklings, the jellyfish, sharklings, etc. would all fall under the category of 'sealings'.**


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